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#4 The Croatian defence too good or the Spanish attack too weak
You can put it either way. Spain had a plethora of opportunities that should have resulted in a goal, but no matter how many times they opened the Croatian defense up, they couldn't get shots away.
The Croatian defense did have a problem in dealing with lobbed balls and overlapping runs. Still, once the ball was inside the box, the Hrvatska players pressed the ball, allowing no room for a shot.
Iago Aspas had an early chance, but Lovren and Vida pressured him off. There was a good lobbed ball which could have been controlled and finished, but it wasn't to be. Ceballos had an opportunity inside the box as well, but he took too heavy a touch.
Missed opportunities forced Spain to try the long range tactic, but Kalinic was up to the task, learning from his previous mistakes. Spain could have sealed the game long before Croatia got into the mix, but it wasn't to be. All in all, either you appreciate the Croatian defense or you simply blame the young forwards of Spain.
